Dave Tomson shows off the incredible Central Otago cycle trails including the stunning Roxburgh Gorge Ride, the historic Clutha Gold Trail, and the new Lake Dunstan Trail connecting Cromwell to Clyde opening soon. Video / Grant Bradley
Sarah Bennett spends five days cycling in Central Otago with a cheerful bunch of bike enthusiasts.
Anywhere, anytime, with anyone. That pretty much sums up my attitude to cycling and until I'm invited to unicycle on Mars at midnight with Elon Musk, I'm probably up for it. And that's how I ended up on a bike tour with 11 strangers.
It was a five-day trip in Central Otago riding four Great Rides. The scenery was spectacular, the weather wonderful, food fabulous and accommodation A-grade. But there was plenty more that made it memorable.
Adventure South's Lake Dunstan and Three Gorges tour takes in the Queenstown, Lake Dunstan, Clutha Gold and Roxburgh Gorge trails. I've ridden all four before, but you can never have too much of a good thing.
Day one, Queenstown, 8am. That awkward moment when you meet the people from whom you cannot escape for six days. Time to break the ice.
Enter Adrian. No sooner had we set off when he took a tumble, prompting a bit of group bonding while the Band-aids were broken out. Adrian got straight back in the saddle and was a box of birds by morning tea. A 76-year-old from Tauranga, he told me he'd never met a grumpy cyclist.
It was easy to be cheerful on the Queenstown Trail. By lunchtime we'd happily made it along Lake Wakatipu and cross-country to Arrowtown where it was off to Provisions cafe for a sticky bun.
Fortunately, I'd anticipated eating myself stupid and had opted for a regular bike. Everyone else had sensibly gone for e-bikes, except for Jill and Scottie. Hardy Whakatane farmers in their 70s, the extra pedalling didn't stop them smiling for five days straight.
After lunch we rode the Arrow River Bridges Ride through to Gibbston where we squeezed in a cold beer before making it to our wine-tasting right on time.
People power
Howie and Rich are our clock-watchers, drivers and guides. Howie is an unflappable, ex-Army type with fantastically bad jokes. Rich is a serious yet silly outdoor sports enthusiast, and as fit as a butcher's whippet. The combo is somewhere between comedy duo and camp mothers, and it's working for us.
We overnight in Cromwell. By the next morning we're all on first-name terms, mostly the right ones.
Taking in the views alongside Lake Dunstan. Photo / Sarah Bennett
After a power brekky we set out on the lesser-known leg of the Lake Dunstan Trail, the 16km stretch from Smith's Way back to Cromwell. I ride with Christine who's a bright-eyed and sprightly 75. I mine her for the secret of eternal youth and am a bit bummed out when she says it's move-it-or-lose-it. I had hoped it was whisky and cigars.
After a poke around old Cromwell's boutique shops and cafes, we continue to Bannockburn for lunch and more wine-tasting. I'm 3000 calories up and we haven't even hit afternoon tea.
A stopover at old Cromwell town. Photo / Sara Bennett
Day three's mission is Cromwell to Clyde on the Lake Dunstan Trail, an instant hit when it opened last year. Quite right, too. Between its clip-on bridges, drystone walls and superb switchbacks, it's a trail-build to rule them all.
Dinner at the old Clyde Post Office is memorable for all the right reasons. Now feeling quite familiar, our group dynamic is cranking. The conversation is heading in all directions, with travel yarns coming particularly thick and fast. Tracking Siberian tigers. Diving with Panamanian sharks. We barely touch on Covid, kids or politics.
On the bus the next morning we're still on a roll. We mock "Howie's Bus Rules", pinned to the back the front seat. No Crying. No Singing. No Kissing. No Sleeping Standing Up.
In Lawrence, we're waiting for coffee and sausage rolls when a procession of Clydesdales clip-clops through town, a sure sign that we're off the beaten track. And so it goes as we head off on the Clutha Gold Trail, which follows the old railway for much of the way. Through spooky Big Hill Tunnel and on to Beaumont, where we meet the old man Mata-au river and follow his story upstream.
A picture-perfect day on the Clutha Gold Trail. Photo / Sarah Bennett
It's a bluebird day, and we're not in a rush. We dawdle and pause to take pics. We split up, catch up, drop back, regroup. It's such a sociable way to travel. I feel like I'm seeing it through someone else's eyes.
Our day's ride ends at a little swimming lake, Pinders Pond. Jane, Lawrence and I strip down to our smalls and take the plunge.
A refreshing dip at Pinders Pond. Photo / Sarah Bennett
At Lake Roxburgh Lodge, our little balconies are soaking up the last of the sun. I'm thinking about beer when Mike and Cathy pass me a cold one from their bag. Talk about compatible – my new friends are now reading my mind.
The Roxburgh Gorge Trail is a fitting finale to our trip, especially as riding it upriver offers ever-more rocky reveals round every bend. By the time we reach the barren narrows of the upper gorge, the scenery has once again blown my mind.
Cruising along the Roxburgh Gorge trail. Photo / Sarah Bennett
A 13km gap in the middle is bridged by a jetboat trip. A ripping little history tour, it's a rare chance to see remote goldfield sites such as Mrs Heron's stone cottage and rock shelters where hardy miners once lived.
Arriving back in Queenstown, it's time for our goodbyes. Scottie speaks for everyone when he graciously thanks our guides. For all its scenic beauty, superb riding, and all the bells and whistles, it ended up being the people who made this trip truly great.
Details:
Adventure South NZ Lake Dunstan and Three Gorges five-day guided trip is priced from $2595 per person (twin-share) departing Queenstown. It includes comfortable ensuite hotel/motel accommodation, almost all meals, snacks, transport and voluntary payments to Trail Trusts and DOC. For more information see adventuresouth.co.nz
For more information on the 23 Great Rides of New Zealand, visit nzcycletrail.com.
The writer travelled as a guest of Adventure South NZ.
